Los Angeles, CA – Hyundai’s Initium hydrogen-powered concept was presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, this after first being unveiled at the end of October.
This wasn’t going to get the same attention as Hyundai’s all-new Ioniq 9 – a model running on hydrogen fuel cells is not really as relevant to many consumers at this point in time. Canada has virtually no existing recharging network for hydrogen-powered vehicles. Still, the model puts forward a styling language that previews what to expect from the Korean automaker in the next few years.
The irony is that a model the Ioniq 9 has just also presented a new image for the brand. The Initium, then, shows one of the directions the company could take in future. And there are links between the two, including the use of pixels for exterior lighting.
This stylistic signature has a name: “Art of Steel”, an artistic form created from steel.
Powertrain of the Hyundai Initium concept
The prototype’s fuel-cell system powers a 201 hp motor and provides the vehicle with a range of 650 km on a single tank. That's more than the 609 km of its hydrogen-powered predecessor the Nexo. That model also offered less horsepower (40).
The company intends to start producing the Initium next year. As you can guess, the production run will be very limited. Its importance is more technological than anything else for the company, which continues to develop in the field of hydrogen fuel cells, despite the lack of adoption in the real world.
The design features a number of striking elements, including the wheel arches, the pixel-filled headlamp units, the shape of the C-pillar, the sloping rear window, and the 21-inch wheels with their aerodynamically designed hubcaps.
SangYup Lee, Hyundai's head of design, had this to say about the Initium's styling: “our challenge began at the manufacturing stage, where we took the malleability of steel to the extreme to create an art form.”
This all leads us to keep a close watch for what the updated version of the Ioniq 6 might look like. That next iteration of the electric sedan might well incorporate elements of the “Art of Steel” design philosophy.
